Ten Years Later
by Mystery Maiden 016
Summary: End Game Spoilers! Summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

A/N- This story is going to follow Morgan Stark and others as she copes with the loss of her father and struggles to find a way to make it right.

Morgan sighed and snuggled deeper under the blankets as thunder rumbled through the room. She had been awake for a while, listening to the rain thrum against the rooftop, dreading the thought of getting out of bed. She could hear her mother rustling in the kitchen and could smell bacon crisping in the pan. Typically, she would have been out of bed an hour ago chattering to her mom before running out the door to meet her friends. But not today. Today was her fifteenth birthday and she felt miserable just like she did every year.

Every year her sweet mother would go out of her way to make the day special. Family friends would come over, presents would be exchanged, food cooked and eaten, laughter would ring through the house but to Morgan it always seemed to be a façade. Every year she would see the tightness around her mother's eyes, would hear their friends start a funny story only to bite it back when they remembered the man who was no longer alive to laugh with them. Every year her father's shadow darkened her birthday but she didn't resent him for it. If anything it was a balm on her soul to see that she wasn't the only one who remembered and cried about his loss. Throughout most of the year her mother was very good at pretending that she had moved on, that her heart wasn't broken even ten years later, but every year on every holiday Pepper's eyes told the story she wasn't willing to.

Lightening cast scattered shadows across the room and the clatter of dishware told Morgan that she had a few minutes at most before her mom would come knocking at the door. She sighed again, looked at the framed photo on the bedside, and tossed the blankets off her body, shivering at the sudden cold. By the time Pepper knocked on the door Morgan was dressed with clean teeth but tangled hair.

"Happy birthday, peanut butter cup," cheered Pepper entering the room carefully shielding the tiny flame sitting atop a purple cupcake. Morgan rolled her eyes at the childhood nickname but grinned when she saw the cupcake.

"I thought you said I couldn't have cake until everyone arrived?" Her mom giggled as they sat down on the bed together.

"I won't tell if you won't." Morgan took the cake from her mom and took in a deep exaggerated breath, holding it in until her cheeks turned pink. "You're going to explode," warned Pepper laughing at her daughter. The storm boomed loudly just as Morgan made her wish and blew the candle out forcefully, exploding into giggles when she accidentally blew spit onto the cupcake. "So classy," commented Pepper dryly.

"When are the others going to be here?" asked Morgan licking the purple frosting.

"Noon. So you have some time to straighten up in here before they arrive," answered Pepper looking disapprovingly at the clothes tossed on the floor, the makeup haphazardly strewn across the dresser, and the unmade bed.

"Mooooooooom," moaned Morgan. "Its my birthday." She pouted at her mom's unimpressed expression.

"At least put the clothes in the hamper. Then come and have breakfast with me. I made your favorite omelets." Morgan considered that compromise before reluctantly agreeing. What Mom wanted was typically what Mom got. Pepper smiled warmly, kissed her on the forehead, then moved to leave. Morgan listened to the latch snick shut before setting her half eaten cupcake on the bed stand, depression settling on her again. It was going to be hard to pretend this year. Perhaps because she was already dreading the trial of her sixteenth birthday or perhaps because the older she got the harder it was to live without a father. When she had been younger she had especially missed her dad on father's day but as time passed and father/daughter dances were skipped she had begun to realize what a hole he had left behind. It didn't help when she finally became old enough to understand that her father hadn't simply left on a business trip. He would never return. He would never be able to give her advice, would never threateningly stare down potential suiters, and would never walk her down the aisle.

Morgan bit her lip and picked up the old photo she kept on the bed stand. In it she had just turned four years old. She was wearing a ridiculous tiara that read "Happy Birthday" in large glittery letters, and was smiling joyfully, blissfully unaware that it would be the last birthday she celebrated with the man beaming beside her. He had both arms wrapped around her small body, another tiara was perched on his head and he had a smear of frosting on his cheek where Morgan had gleefully attacked him before he could get her.

"I miss you," whispered Morgan. The picture hurt her as much as it comforted her because the man in the photo was becoming more and more of a stranger to her with each passing year. She used to have such clear memories of his voice, of his laughter, the way he smelled when he hugged her, so many different things that made him real. But now her memory was fuzzy. The clearest impression she had of him was captured in that photo. Everything else was colored water slipping through her fingers as she desperately cupped her hands, trying to hold on.

"Mrs. Boss wants you to know the food is growing cold," said the disembodied voice of Friday, her father's virtual assistant.

"I'm coming," answered Morgan scooping up her errant clothes and lobbing them into the hamper. Breakfast was lukewarm by the time she made it to the table but she didn't mind. Her mother's bacon and cheese omelets were delicious no matter the temperature. She spent the rest of the morning talking to her mom, and admiring the decorations Pepper had strewn over the home. They still lived in the same house that her father had built for them after the Dusting.

Twenty minutes before noon her uncle Rhodey let himself in, balancing her gift in one hand and stuffing the keys into his pocket with the other. "Where's the birthday girl?" he asked grinning as Pepper took the wrapped box from him.

"Hi, Uncle Rhodey," answered Morgan giving him a hug.

"You look beautiful, sweetheart," said Rhodey giving her a paternal kiss on the hair. Of all her family's friends Rhodey had been the one to step up and try to fill the hole her father had left. He had never tried to lay claim to her father's role but he had always been there with an open ear and tissue if she needed it.

"What'd you bring me?" asked Morgan eyeing the present her mother had set on the table. Rhodey laughed, the sound deep and pleased.

"I see how it is now," he teased. "No 'how are you doing' or 'was the drive ok'. Its just down to the business of what I brought you." Morgan laughed.

"You know what I mean."

"Well you're going to have to wait until everyone else gets here to find out. I came a little early to help your poor mother prepare for the hoard."

"Well this year I finally learned," answered Pepper. "We're all having pizza and if anyone doesn't want pizza they can order their own." Rhodey nodded, huffing to himself at the memory of perfectionist Pepper mistakenly believing that she could cook for everyone at last year's party. She had gotten her timing and proportions wrong so she had ended up with some side dishes ready half an hour before others while other dishes weren't large enough to feed the crowd. They chatted together as guests started to trickle into the home. Natasha and Clint arrived a few minutes before Nick Fury and Maria made their entrance. After them came Scott with his family as well as Happy and Peter. Bruce and Brunnhilde came fashionably late, explaining that Thor was still busy gallivanting around the universe. Morgan's friends from school were never invited to her birthday celebrations at home due to her identity as Tony Stark's daughter being unknown at school. She would have another party next weekend at a local park for her peers. Once everyone had arrived they sang her happy birthday with huge Bruce drowning out everyone else. If Thor had been able to come he would have given Bruce a run for his money. Next, Morgan unwrapped her gifts, smiling and thanking each person who though not blood had become close family over the years. Once that was finished they all gathered in the living room to play board games.

Pepper put her arm around Morgan's shoulders as they sat curled on the couch, watching as Natasha stuck her tongue between her teeth to help her concentrate on removing the Jenga block without knocking over the tower. Clint's supporters groaned as she succeeded and help up the block smirking smugly as Clint studied the precarious tower. Natasha was the only one that Morgan kept at somewhat of a distance. She was a nice woman but Morgan couldn't forgive her for finding a way back from death when her father hadn't. Morgan didn't know the details of what had occurred but she knew that Natasha had died during the Titan's War only to return from the dead a few years later. Morgan had spent many misplaced nights trying to badger Natasha into revealing the secret of how she had escaped so that Morgan could work on a way of getting the information to her father. Instead of explaining her feat to Morgan Natasha would look at her sadly and inform her that her father would never be able to return like she had. Every time she would break Morgan's heart and have the gall to look crushed.

Finally, after a long night of games, jokes, cake, and pizza it was time for the party to end. Morgan smiled and hugged everyone goodbye, glad that she had made it through another year without the others understanding how difficult it was for her. When it was finally finished and the house quiet again Morgan took a moment to breathe just for herself. The silence made her heart swell with pain. If there was only one thing she remembered clearly about her father, it was that when he was around the house was never quiet.

She jumped a little when she felt her mother drop a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ok, sweetie?" asked Pepper, her eyes concerned. Morgan forced a smile past the lump in her throat.

"Yeah! Just thinking." Her mom didn't look appeased.

"What's wrong?" Morgan looked down at her hands feeling her eyes prick with tears. "Honey?" asked Pepper with just the right tone to break down the last of Morgan's walls. She swiped at her eyes.

"I just miss him is all." She didn't have to say which him she was referring to. Pain flashed across her mother's face.

"I know, darling. I miss him too."

"I can't really remember him anymore." whispered Morgan. "I wish I could. But it's like trying to look through grandma's glasses and see the world." Pepper pulled her into a hug. Morgan wasn't surprised that her mom didn't say anything else. There wasn't much to say that hadn't already been said over the years. Morgan thought about the photo on her bed stand. "Are there any videos of him?"

"Like news conferences?" asked Pepper in confusion, pulling back slightly. Morgan shook her head.

"Like home videos? Something I can watch to try to get to know him?" Pepper stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry sweetie. All I have left are the videos your father made before he…" Pepper hesitated. "Before he passed away. I don't think you're old enough for those yet." Morgan looked away and sniffed as she felt her nose burn.

"Mrs. Boss there are years of footage of Boss in my archives if you would desire to access them." came Friday's voice from the ceiling. Pepper frowned at Morgan's sudden hopeful expression.

"Years of what footage?" asked Pepper.

"Security footage from Boss' lab, suit, and tower. Boss mandated that all security footage was to be kept indefinitely to provide for the eventuality that it would be needed to investigate an incident." Morgan seized her mother's hands.

"Please, Mom? For my birthday? Can I please have access to that footage?" The worry lines in Pepper's face deepened as she gaped at the suggestion.

"Honey, I don't know what's on those tapes. I really don't know if I feel comfortable…" she trailed off seeing the brokenness start to seep back into her daughter's eyes. Morgan wasn't a child. She was strong, intelligent, and wise beyond her years. She deserved the chance to see her father even if it was just video of him goofing around the lab. "Alright," agreed Pepper reluctantly. "But Friday I want you to censor any nudity, or anything else that would be rated R."

"Understood, Mrs. Boss." Morgan tackled her mom in a bear hug, smiling genuinely for the first time.

"Thank you," gasped Morgan through tears of happiness. "This is the best present you could ever give me!" Pepper patted her on the back trying but failing to feel good about her decision.

A/N- This is going to be a bit of a slow burning story. I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter. =)

P.S. I don't own anything.


	2. Chapter 2

Morgan signed her name on the paper with a flourish, a self-satisfied smirk playing across her lips. Her AP physics homework was finally complete and she felt confident that if she was called upon in the morning to explain any of the solutions she would not embarrass herself. A quick glance at her phone showed that it was relatively late; too late to start any new projects but too early for bed. Her mother was busy at a board meeting tonight so she had the house to herself.

"Friday, can you start the videos where we left off last?" asked Morgan swiveling her chair to focus on her computer screen. She smiled when she saw her dad appear onscreen, diligently working in his lab. Morgan laughed when he started fussing at one of the robots he used to assist him in his work. Perhaps diligent was not a word that described her father. He was wearing an old greasy tshirt with athletic pants that had seen better days. Morgan liked this version of her father better than the times he wore an expensive suit and sunglasses. This version reminded her of sunny days and laughter filled squeals. The man in the suit never looked happy although it was hard to tell because his face was often a mask of stone. She had quickly learned from the videos that the man the public remembered as the great Tony Stark was nothing like the real man. That man had been arrogant, witty, and supercilious. That man was easy to dislike, especially when he looked straight at a reporter asking questions and contempt was written in every line of his face. That man made it easy to understand why, even after the sacrifices her father had made, people still spoke about her father as though he had been half demon, half throat stomping megalomaniac.

The man tinkering with a portable water filtration unit however was completely different. While in his own home, her father's brassy confidence eroded away to an awkward sweet mix of self-importance and the need for companionship. This man was someone who desperately wanted to have normal relationships but was unsure of how to balance his position with that want.

"Sir, Mr. Hogan is on the line for you," said the voice of her father's male A.I., a creation that Tony affectionately referred to as Jarvis.

"Yeah, put him on," answered Tony without stopping what he was doing. He pointed his soldering tool at a specific piece of the filtration unit, guiding Dum-E to aim the flashlight in that general direction.

"Hey, Boss, I'm sorry to disturb you," came Happy's strained voice. "I need to schedule a different driver for you in the morning."

"Tired of me already, Hap?" quipped Tony.

"No, its not that," answered Happy sounding sad. Tony stopped working on his soldering, concern crossing his face. Morgan guessed because Happy sounded strange even to her ears.

"Everything ok?"

"Actually, my mom just passed." Happy coughed on the phone to keep his voice steady. "I got to drive up to Jersey to get everything in order." Tony began working again.

"Take all the time you need, Hap. Use the jet when you go." Tony hesitated. "I'm sorry about your mom."

"Thanks Boss," answered Happy gruffly. "For everything." There was a click as Happy hung up leaving the lab in silence as Tony worked.

"Jarvis, find out what funeral home the Hogans will be using. Pay for everything and have the funeral home tell them Happy's mom took care of it before she died. Then send flowers. Her favorites."

"Yes sir," answered Jarvis. "Shall I call your relief driver for tomorrow?"

"I'll drive myself. Maybe spend the night at Obie's." There was a beat. "Put my music back on." Morgan smiled and watched as her father continued to work. It wasn't the first time she had watched him do something kind anonymously. Not a perfect man, but a good one.

There was a beep as her mother let herself into the lab. "Mute," commanded Pepper as she set a full coffee cup on Tony's desk and pulled the papers secured under her arm out.

"Please don't turn off my music," said Tony, something that he said each time Pepper entered his lab and turned off the noise.

"I have some papers for you to sign for the Devos deal," replied Pepper without skipping a beat. "I also need to know if you're planning on attending that awards ceremony on Saturday or if I need to set someone up to take it for you." Tony grabbed the mug and took a deep drink before making a face.

"You forgot my sugar," he whined. Pepper took the mug from his hands and put the paperwork there instead.

"You're on a cleanse, remember? No sugar, no carbohydrates, no starches."

"Why am I on a cleanse?" asked Tony digging for a pen before being handed one by Pepper.

"Your latest flame is a holistic nutritionist." Tony scribbled his name on the papers before handing them back.

"When am I going to see her again?"

"Next Thursday."

"Right. Cancel that and send her my kind regards but also my wishes that we never see each other again. And add sugar to the grocery list." Pepper smirked and took the paperwork.

"Will that be all Mr. Stark?"

"That will be all Ms. Potts." Pepper's heels clicked as she walked away. If she knew that her boss's eyes lingered long after she had gone she didn't let on.

Morgan yawned and turned the computer off. By her estimation this video had occurred two years before her father would be captured in Afghanistan. Two years before he would create the machine that would eventually kill him. People had always told her that Tony Stark was a known womanizer but she had never believed it until she watched these videos. Friday had censored any videos of her father with other women but she knew based upon conversations that weren't censored there were many in her father's life. At first she had trouble understanding how her proud mother had moved from her father's assistant to his wife. Thus she had asked her mother a few weeks prior. Pepper had chewed her lip before answering.

"I probably wouldn't have if it wasn't for Iron Man." She had answered. "I thought a great deal of him before Afghanistan but I was well aware that he wasn't relationship material. Afghanistan changed that. He stopped being the man he thought he had to be and started being the man he wanted to be. The womanizing stopped. The reckless parties were far fewer and even then I can only remember one instance where he lost control. He was different. He started talking _to_ people instead of talking _at_ them." Pepper shrugged. "He grew up and started taking responsibility."

Morgan stood and started to get ready for bed. Tomorrow she would skip to after Afghanistan. She would start to meet the man her mother had fallen in love with.

Morgan winced as fire curled over the screen. She was watching one of the many videos of her father's battles, captured by the visual system of the helmet and by a camera set into the chest of the suit. She had always respected her father for his death but it was only now that she truly understood the toll that the suit demanded. She wondered if she was the only one who realized that while the suit protected her father from lethal blows he was still badly bruised or even endured bone fractures. The recording system showed her exactly what her father had saw on the day in question, especially the flashing red warnings that showed tissue trauma. She frowned as her father was slammed into a wall, the suit flashing red warnings across the shoulders and back. Tony grunted in pain from the force of the blow but got back to his feet almost immediately.

Morgan didn't recognize the foe he faced so it must have been a relatively minor skirmish as all of Iron Man's larger battles was chronicled in Morgan's textbooks. Morgan watched as two repulser blasts knocked the enhanced off his feet and to the ground. Before he could rise her father flew at him and landed a powerful punch on his jaw, the full weight of the suit combined with the power of her father's arm knocking the enhanced out cold.

"Fury, you copy?" asked Tony grimly. "Dinner is served. Send your boys to pick it up."

"Copy," answered Nick's voice, a photo of him floating on the display. "Thanks for the assist."

"Consulting hours are still every other Thursday. This is going to cost extra," quipped Tony.

"Please," retorted Nick. "You still owe me for saving your ass or have you forgotten?"

"Technically, I saved my ass. You were just the delivery boy or do you regularly attribute the mission success to the Amazon delivery guy?"

"Stark," growled Nick.

"End call," replied Tony quickly. "Jarvis take me home." Once he arrived back at the tower Tony stepped out of the suit, cringing as the pain in his back made itself known. "Start a bath please."

"Would you like to add the oils Ms. Potts ordered for you?" inquired Jarvis.

"Yeah. Just pick one." Tony gingerly wiggled out of his shirt. Morgan could see the blossoming purple spreading across his back.

"Do you ever go out anymore?" Morgan jumped and squealed at the unexpected voice. She quickly whirled around but then relaxed when she saw Peter leaning against the door. She shut her lap top before turning back to him.

"Do you even knock anymore?" she retorted, embarrassed over her reaction.

"Ms. Potts asked to me to come check on you. She said you had been staying in your room a lot. I guess now I know why." Morgan scowled.

"I'm not doing anything wrong." Peter looked at her silently. It appeared that today would be one of his moody days. There were times when Peter was cheerful and fun to hang around. Other times Peter's eyes were dark and he looked decades older than he was. Pepper said that it was because he had been through a lot and sometimes his dreams made the pain fresh.

"Why are you watching those videos?" Morgan flushed at the tone of his voice. It was a tone that said he didn't think that she was doing nothing wrong.

"He was my father! Mom said I could watch them." Morgan scowled when his expression didn't falter. "Ok you checked on me. I'm fine. So you can just go now." Peter finally looked down at the floor. Morgan noticed that his hands were clenched.

"Get dressed. We're going to the park."

"I'm not going." Peter forced a smile.

"Come on, Morgie. Don't be like that. Please." Morgan hesitated. She had often seen Peter tense, usually after board meetings or after a mission with the new Avengers but she had never seen him look so frozen. He looked like he had been sucker punched in the gut but was trying to pretend he could still breathe.

"Are you ok?" asked Morgan. Peter looked at her computer.

"I wasn't really expecting to hear Mr. Stark." Morgan suddenly felt bad. She knew that Peter had taken her father's death especially hard. So hard in fact that when her father's will made it clear that Peter was heir to the company after Pepper he had almost thrown the opportunity away, unable to bear the memories. With time however, and many talks from Rhodey and Happy he had stepped into the role with grace. His time was now split between his super hero tasks and helping to run the company.

"I'm sorry. I'll have Friday warn me next time." Peter nodded distractedly.

"Why are you watching those videos?" This time the question made Morgan think.

"I want to know him. Every year in school we learn about him. He's my own father but I know as much about him as every other high schooler in the world. I'm trying to change that." Peter sighed.

"Just be sure that you don't get stuck in the past, Morgie. It doesn't matter how many videos you watch, it isn't going to bring him back. Nothing will." Morgan bit down the anger that statement brought her. Peter was just trying to help. He couldn't possibly understand the pain that she lived with. She moved to the closet and grabbed a jacket, shoes, and a cap.

"You don't need to worry about me, Peter. I can take care of myself." Peter smirked and ruffled her hair.

"Well let's see if you can take care of yourself on the basketball court. I've been practicing all week." Morgan rolled her eyes.

"Like you could ever beat me."

Later that night Morgan lay in bed, sleepless and nursing a bruised knee where she had tripped over Peter's giraffe legs. She thought about the expression on Peter's face when he caught her watching the videos and wondered if there was something more to the relationship her father and Peter had. She knew he had interned at the company for a few years and that he had fought beside her father but that was all. Neither of those facts explained the shuttered pain that Peter had shown.

"Friday?" she whispered, wary of waking her mother. "Can you show me videos of Peter and my dad? Quietly, please."

"Would you also like to view videos containing mention of Peter Parker or Spider Man?" asked Friday, her voice lowered according to Morgan's wishes.

"Yes. But select only videos that are significant. Set parameters of heightened emotional response, important dates, and first time occurrences." Her laptop whirred to life and she quickly scrambled over the covers to lay facing the bottom of the bed so that she could watch the screen.

A much younger Peter stepped into the familiar space that Morgan had come to recognize as the lab in the bottom of Stark then Avenger's Tower. He looked nervous, his pale face uncertain but free from the worry and stress he wore in the future.

"Come on in kid," greeted Tony from the juice bar in the corner.

"Hey, Mr. Stark," replied Peter taking another baby step into the lab. "Do we have a mission or something? When Happy showed up at school I wasn't sure…" Peter trailed off. "I'm not in trouble am I?" Tony laughed.

"Should you be?" Peter turned two shades paler and started to stutter but Tony waved him off. "I'm kidding. Geez kid you gotta relax. I thought maybe it was time you actually learned something from your "internship"." Tony made exaggerated finger quotes. Peter hesitated only a second longer before breaking into a wide grin.

"Are we going to be working on your suits?" he practically squealed. Tony clapped his hands causing a hologram to be projected into the lab. Morgan had no idea what it was but Peter did. "Oh no way! We're working on this? I thought it was top secret?" Tony studied the hologram and took a drink of his smoothie.

"So is Spider Man's identity. Think you can handle one more secret?" Peter dropped his bag into the corner and moved forward, his brow pinched as he looked at the model.

"Can this really power an entire city for a year? It doesn't quite look right." Tony nodded the pride on his face not nearly as concealed as he thought it was.

"That's because this is a modified version of that program. This one is meant to power something really small even when it's not connected to the main power source." Peter glanced away from the model.

"What's it powering?"

"That's for me to know and you to not. Want to help or not?" Peter reached toward the model and removed one of the components to examine it.

"I might have a few ideas." The scene faded and switched to a new image of Peter and Tony working in the lab. Morgan watched several videos, slowly coming to understand that Peter had inadvertently stepped into role neither he nor her father had intended. Morgan had always considered Peter to be an older brother but after several hours of watching her father teach him, encourage him, and reprimand him for his mistakes she realized that perhaps the association was closer to truth than she thought. Peter was Tony's first born though not by blood not Morgan herself. She was just about to turn her laptop off so that she could at least sleep a few hours before school when the next video began to play. Morgan gasped as she recognized the alien ship in the back ground of the video. It was the day that her father had traveled to space.

The heartrate visual in the corner of the video showed that her father's heart was racing as he stared down the threat to his home. "I'm sorry Earth is closed for today," announced her father, his voice strong despite the fear she knew he was feeling. "You better pack it up and get outta here." Morgan had watched her father battle before, had listened to his pain as he was beaten, had noticed the panic in his voice at times but this video was different. She knew that this was the start of a war that would kill her dad and millions of other people. Morgan felt her own heart start to race as her dad engaged the behemoth alien. How did her father find the courage to stand tall against such a monstrosity? She watched with bated breath as the suit flashed red from the various impacts. The camera caught flashes of the ground as her father was knocked to the ground, sensors screaming that another hit was coming from behind. Tony quickly turned, a soft gasp heralding his surprise at seeing the boy in the red suit.

"Kid, what are you doing here?" Morgan sighed in relief at seeing Peter come to her father's aid. She wasn't sure where the famed Avengers were at this point but it was obvious that her father needed more help than the shrimpy man and doctor could provide. She couldn't help but feel enormous pride in Peter when he snuck aboard the ship, despite her father's obvious displeasure. She liked to think that if she was given the chance she too would have fought at Tony's side. When the battle of Titan happened she had to bite her knuckles to keep from screaming when that horrible mad man ran her father through with his own technology. Tears ran from her eyes when she watch Peter disintegrate in front of her, his boyish face contorted with pain and fear. Her father sat in silence for some time until a blue woman knelt beside him.

"Get up," she ordered. "We have to leave."

"Go," answered Tony. "I can't leave him." The woman hissed in anger.

"Leave him? He's gone. Just like my sister and those buffoons she hung around. Dying here won't change that."

"I don't care," muttered Tony. He groaned and shifted off his knees to sit on his bottom.

"Was your son the only family you had?" asked the woman.

"No," answered Tony.

"Don't you want to know if they lived?"

"And if they didn't?" asked Tony, his voice rough with tears. He sounded exhausted, beyond defeated.

"You don't have to live past finding that out. But don't let my father win. Not today." There was silence for several minutes. The blue woman gave up and stood, starting to walk away.

"Help me stand."

The video faded leaving Morgan struggling to grasp her own horror and grief. It was shocking to her. She had spent her entire life learning about the calamity that had changed the universe but to actually witness the carnage was incredible. She had never really understood the fear and pain that older people lived with on a daily basis but now she empathized. It seemed impossible that one second Peter and those other strangers had been standing, strong and healthy, only to disappear into dust in less than a minute. Now it made sense why parents would call their children in panic if the child forgot to let them know they would be late. Their desperate clutches seemed all the more reasonable when she recalled the terror that had been on Peter's face. What kind of sickness did Thanos suffer from that his actions had seemed merciful?

Another video started to play, this one located in the Avenger's facility. Her father looked sick, emaciated in a way that made him look like a corpse. He had an IV stuck in his arm and a blanket draped around his shoulders. Uncle Rhodey was trying to get him to drink water.

"Come on, man. That IV can't stay in forever." Tony raised dead, haunted eyes to his friend.

"I lost my kid, Rhodey," was all he said, his voice hoarse from disuse.

"Its not your fault, Tony. It wouldn't have mattered where Peter was." Rhodey hesitated. "It was just destined to happen." Tony scoffed angrily his eyes lighting up with outrage.

"Don't give me that destiny bullshit," he snapped. "It was never destined to happen. He was destined for something else. For anything else." The fervor died in Tony. "I ruined him. If I had never met him he would have been ok."

"That's not true," replied Rhodey surprisingly gentle. "That kid was a hero, through and through. Do you really think for a second that even if he hadn't known you he would have left that spaceship alone? You think he would stand back and let New York be destroyed again? You can take credit for a lot of things, Tony. That kid's heart is not one of them." Tony picked at the blanket's edge.

"It should have been me," he whispered. "When Strange said that he would let us die to protect the stone I still believed that I could protect him." Tony started to sob. "Instead my life killed him. I never wanted that. Oh please God let me die instead." Rhodey sighed and rubbed his friend's shoulders, unable to offer anything to soothe Tony's pain.

"I don't think God is around anymore, Tones." Tony clutched at his wounded side and wept. "I think the only thing you can do now is live for that boy, Tony. He would have wanted you to keep going."

"How do I do that?" asked Tony. "How do I move on knowing that because of me trillions of people are dead?"

"Its not because of you," answered Rhodey. "The wizard knew that you were all going to lose. I think he was just trying to save what he could. You move on because you can't stay in the same place. Just like the rest of us. Don't waste your life, Stark." Morgan hit the stop button feeling nauseous. She had never seen a man in so much pain. It was hard to reconcile with the man in the photo from her dresser. It was even more difficult to imagine the world without Peter.

"Friday?"

"Yes, little Boss?"

"How did my father and the Avenger's bring everyone back to life? How did they get the stones from Thanos?"

"Your father built a time manipulation devise that enabled the team to gather the stones from differing points in time prior to Thanos gaining possession of them."

"Shouldn't that have created a paradox?"

"Negative, little Boss. It did however create a multiverse." Morgan considered.

"Where are the stones now?"

"After Boss's victory Captain Steven Rogers returned the stones to where they belonged."

"What would happen if someone went back in time and brought my father back to this time?" There was a very long pause. "Friday?"

"Unknown," answered the A.I. flatly.

"Has anything like that been done before? Is that how Aunt Natasha came back to life?"

"Negative. Natasha Romanoff returned to life through the efforts of the group known as the Guardians of the Galaxy." Morgan tried to sniff back tears as crushing disappointment enveloped her. Why could trillions of people and Natasha escape death when her father couldn't?

"Has anyone ever come from the past into the future?" asked Morgan hopelessly.

"Nebula, daughter of Thanos traveled from the past to the future and also brought the Titan with his hoard from the past." Morgan perked up, her heart starting to race.

"Explain."

"The final battle was against foes brought into the future by the past version of Nebula when her future version was captured retrieving the Power Stone. Prior to this, Thanos had already been slain by Thor, son of Odin." Morgan bit her lip trying to wrap her mind around this new information. Unfortunately the complexities of time travel eluded her. If people from the past could enter the future then she should be able to travel to a point of time, convince her father to come with her, and thereby save his life. But then who would defeat Thanos? Would saving her father cause the world to end at the hands of Thanos?

"Where is Nebula now?" asked Morgan slowly. If anyone in the universe could answer how moving from the past into the future affected a person it would be Nebula. Morgan supposed that Peter or Bruce could probably answer her questions but it was important that they not know what she was considering. They were both still active in the Avengers and likely wouldn't want to take the risk.

"Her last known location was a planet by the name of Primoria." Morgan cursed under her breath. Earth was still unable to travel to other planets without help.

"Send a message to Uncle Thor and ask him to come to visit. Tell him its very urgent and that its to be kept between myself and him."

"Yes, little Boss." Satisfied Morgan crawled into bed excitement tingling down her spine. Perhaps, if all went well, she would have a real father soon. Everyone would be so happy to have him back. As she lay in bed she considered what adventures space may hold. From what Thor told her space was nothing short of a swashbucklers dream with pirates and danger lurking around every star. And that was to speak nothing of the battles Thor had fought on the planets he visited. A cold feeling washed down her spine at that thought. From what Thor had told her he could barely go a few weeks without running into some type of fight. While Morgan believed that Thor got himself into a lot of trouble she also knew that trouble had a tendency to find him.

"Friday, does the equipment to create my father's suit still exist?"

"Yes. Mr. Parker uses Boss' lab to repair and recreate his own suit which is based upon the same technology." Morgan listened carefully as her mom coughed from the other room. Once she had settled down Morgan spoke.

"Create a new suit with my measurements. Make sure that its battle ready by the time that Thor arrives." Morgan hesitated thinking of her father's suit. It felt wrong to impersonate him. "Make the color scheme purple and silver.

"It will be ready for deployment by ten o'clock tomorrow night." Morgan blinked in surprise at how quickly the suit could be made then rolled over and sighed. At least this way she would have extra time to practice in it before Uncle Thor arrived to take her to space.

A/N- Thank you for the lovely reviews! I hope that this chapter meets expectations. =)


	3. Chapter 3

Morgan arrived home from school the next day dead tired and ready to take a nap before working on her homework. She had wrestled all day with the problem of missing school without her mother knowing before eventually deciding that it was inevitable that her mother would realize that she was gone. The key to success would be keeping the secret until she was with Thor. Then nothing her mother did would stop her from finding Nebula and bringing her father back. Morgan dropped her bag onto the floor and was about to crawl into bed when she heard her mother's voice call for her. Morgan scowled in irritation but moved to the kitchen, stopping in surprise when she saw Peter.

"I thought you were going on a trip to Wakanda?" asked Morgan joining her mother and Peter at the table. Peter drummed his fingers on the table.

"Something important came up," he answered. "I just came to ask Ms. Potts if she would mind going for me." Pepper frowned at the news looking quickly at Morgan.

"Its very short notice, Peter. I can't leave Morgan alone for two weeks." Morgan quickly stood and went to the refrigerator to grab a juice. She couldn't let her mother see her face at the news or else she would suspect something.

"I can stay by myself," said Morgan carefully. She grabbed two cups from the cabinet to occupy her hands and help steady her voice. She had never been good at lying. "I'm fifteen years old. Plus I have Friday to keep watch on me." Morgan set the glasses beside Peter and Pepper.

"No," answered her mom shaking her head. "You're too young. Friday can't protect you if something were to happen." Morgan bit her lip trying to think of an argument to change her mother's mind.

"I can stay with her," said Peter unexpectedly. "My business is in the area anyway." Peter looked straight at Morgan, his eyes piercing her. "I'll keep her from doing anything stupid." Morgan froze her heart starting to thump in her chest.

"Peter, are you sure? Morgan has to be driven to school every day" asked Pepper worriedly. "I don't want to overburden you…" Peter smiled warmly and put his hand on Pepper's clasped hands.

"Hey, you're doing me the favor, remember? This meeting in Wakanda is vital to the continuing operations of the Avengers. I can't trust just anyone to go in my place." Pepper considered glancing first at Morgan then at Peter. Morgan held her breath, unsure of who would be easier to sneak away from – Peter or Pepper. The look Peter had given her hadn't been forgotten either.

"Alright," answered Pepper finally. "Just make sure that she does her homework and doesn't stay cooped up in her room all the time. Morgan listen to me," demanded Pepper catching her daughter's eyes. "You listen to Peter. If he says duck you duck no questions asked. If he tells you to go to bed no arguments. I'm trusting you. No sneaking out to see friends, no teenage drama, and no back talk." Morgan nodded quickly and forced a smile to her face. If it hadn't been for her plan she would have been thrilled. Peter typically spent a lot more time at work than her mother did so it would like two weeks free to herself. Something told her though that Peter would not be as trusting as her mother. "I'm going to go pack a bag. I'll be late as it is." Morgan waited until her mother had left the room before turning to Peter, a question in her eyes. Her heart dropped again when she saw the rock solid set of his jaw and the steel in his eyes when he held up a hand to stop her words.

"We'll talk after your mother is gone." Morgan sat quietly and waited, listening to her mother thump around upstairs gathering what she needed. When Pepper returned with a bag Morgan forced an excited, bubbly smile.

"I'll see you in two weeks!" Her mother laughed and hugged her tightly.

"I mean what I said, peanut butter cup! Keep me updated on how everything is going and _maybe_ if you're good I'll bring you back a souvenir." Morgan grabbed her mom's bag and carried it to the door.

"When am I ever not good?" asked Morgan cheekily. Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Uh I can think of at least a dozen times this week alone. And clean your room while I'm gone!" Morgan sighed dramatically and shook her head.

"You can take my car to the airport," said Peter. "I'll just use Mr. Stark's old car." Morgan passed the luggage to Peter's driver, a jovial man who liked to make faces with Morgan behind Peter's back. Pepper hesitated.

"Are you sure? I can wait for Happy to come pick me up…" Peter shrugged.

"Its fine. Remember the King's Counsel will be waiting for you when you arrive. Best not to make them wait any longer than necessary. Don't worry, Ms. Potts. If she gets to be too much for me to handle I'll call Colonel Rhodes." Pepper nodded and before Morgan knew it she was waving as the car sped down the driveway. The car had been gone for a few minutes when Peter spoke.

"Come sit with me." Morgan stiffened at the command. When they were seated back at the table Peter looked at her long and hard.

"Is everything ok?" asked Morgan gingerly.

"You tell me," answered Peter. "Is there a reason why I woke up this morning to a message from you to Thor asking him to come to Earth urgently?" Morgan could barely breathe as she felt the blood draining from her face.

"Why are you reading my messages?" Peter shook his head and moved his juice glass from in front of him.

"I'm not. But all interstellar communication goes through me. Its one of the many ways the Avengers work on keeping the Earth safe. Wouldn't want people like Hydra contacting alien warlords again, would we?" Morgan sat silently, her heart in her throat. "So why does Thor need to come to Earth urgently?" Peter leaned forward. "And more to the point, why should his visit only be between you and him?" Morgan slowly raised her eyes to look at Peter. She could still see the traces of the boy who had died in her father's arms but she also understood that the years had taught Peter how to be frightening. Peter Parker was not a man that Morgan would want to fight in any circumstance. Hopefully she wouldn't have to.

"I needed his help," whispered Morgan.

"With what?" prompted Peter. Morgan looked back at the table, scraping her mind for a lie.

"Mom's birthday is coming up. I wanted him to get her something really nice from space." Peter laughed softly.

"Your mother hates space. Try again." Morgan felt her eyes fill with tears. As the silence stretched Peter leaned back in his chair.

"My turn." Morgan sniffled. "You wanted him to take you to see Nebula so you could figure out if it would end the world if you went back in time to save your father. Sound about right?" Morgan didn't answer. Peter stood and emptied his glass into the sink. "You aren't the only one who can talk to Friday."

"He's my father!" choked out Morgan.

"He was my mentor!" snapped Peter whirling around to face her. "You think I don't want him back too? I would give anything, do anything to help him. I watched him die!" Morgan flinched at the roar causing Peter to look down quickly and visibly gather himself. "I wish there was a way to help him. Believe me I do. But your father knew exactly what he was doing. He knew the cost and he made that choice anyway. That's why he was a hero."

"I don't need a hero," answered Morgan. "I need my dad!" She stood suddenly, the chair banging on the ground where she knocked it over. There were so many things that she wanted to scream at him but looking at Peter she knew he would never listen to her. She turned and stomped away, tears running unnoticed down her cheeks. Peter flinched when he heard her door slam shut upstairs. His acute hearing told him exactly when Morgan started to sob brokenly. Peter turned and washed out his cup before grabbing Pepper's and doing the same. It was true. He would do anything, risk his life a thousand times for the chance to save Mr. Stark. But he couldn't risk Morgan's. A single misstep could kill her and countless others, a fact that he had learned in France. Peter remembered Tony yelling at him during the Vulture fiasco, remembered not understanding Tony and his motives. Perhaps if Peter took the time to explain everything to Morgan she would understand.

Peter opened the cabinets, deciding to make dinner while he waited for her to cool off enough for him to talk to her. That was the key, he thought to himself, talk _to_ her instead of yell_ at_ her. Later that night he checked on her and was disappointed but relieved to see that she had cried herself to sleep. He ate dinner alone then fell asleep on the couch. He dreamed of the Mad Titan's war, heard the explosions, and smelled the charred flesh of the battle field.

He was swinging through the fight, gripping the gauntlet tightly, his fear drowned out by the exhilaration of being the one who was tasked with protecting the gauntlet. All he had to do was get the gauntlet to the time machine and then the world would be saved. Peter dodged one of the leaping monsters and shot a web at it to keep it down. Then suddenly he was thrown into the ground, the force jarring his bones and knocking his breath away. Then Thanos was standing over him, pulling the gauntlet from his weak arms. Peter tried to get up, to fight the monster like he had on Titan but his legs were jelly, he was glued to the ground and Thanos was going to win, was going to kill them all again. Distantly he heard Captain America wail in despair as the titan slid the gauntlet onto his hand.

"You had one job!" shrieked the raccoon, his eyes rolling in terror, mouth covered in frothy saliva. Peter wept in shame then heard the glorious sounds of Iron Man's repulsers. He watched in frightened awe as Tony once again fought toe to toe with Thanos the noise of cracking metal filling his ears. Thanos knocked Tony away but Iron Man was coming again, indefatigable. Seeing this Thanos whirled around and grabbed Peter by the throat.

"Let him go!" shouted Tony drawing up short, his face plate lifting to reveal his horrified eyes. "Don't hurt him!" Peter tried to breathe, tried to tell Tony that it was ok, that he was ready this time but suddenly Tony's armor was falling off his body. "Spare his life," begged Mr. Stark. Before Peter could gasp out a defiant 'no' Thanos had run Mr. Stark through, the sword dripping blood. Where had Thanos gotten the sword?

"No!" shrieked Peter seeing the blood spill from his mentor's lips. Suddenly Thanos was gone, dropping Peter to the ground. He quickly crawled over the broken glass that littered the battlefield and pulled Mr. Stark into his lap, holding him just as Mr. Stark had done for him on Titan. "You're going to be ok," gabbled Peter. "You're fine." But blood continued to leak from Mr. Stark's mouth and his skin turned that awful gray tone that Peter knew signaled death.

"I saved you," rasped Mr. Stark, his breath coming in bloody bubbles. "Why won't you save me?"

Peter startled awake with a gasp, tears running down his face. He brought a shaky hand to his face and wiped away the cold sweat. God, he could still hear Iron Man's repulsers in the distance. Peter frowned, realizing that the noise wasn't going away, on the contrary it was getting louder. He heard a knock upstairs and realized that it wasn't the dream that had woken him but rather his spidey senses.

"Shit," mumbled Peter, leaping to his feet and running to Morgan's room. He tried to open the door but it locked. "Morgie, open the door! Something is coming!" He beat on the door. "Morgan!" Fear thrummed through his veins. He was going to fail Mr. Stark's daughter too. Peter closed his eyes as an image of Morgan's bloodied face flashed into his mind. "Morgan?" She didn't answer and he could tell that whatever was attacking the house was heading straight to Morgan. "Over my dead body," snarled Peter and kicked the door with all his strength. The home was designed to defend against attack, with reinforced doors that would take an automated battering ram several hours to bust. The door splintered under Peter's attack, swinging inward and striking the wall hard enough to snap it back shut but not before Peter saw a purple Iron Man suit fly in the window. Peter shouldered through the door again, keeping one eye on the suit and searching for Morgan with the other. "Don't be afraid, Morgan! Run!" But he couldn't find her in the room. Was she in the closet? Under the bed? It didn't matter. He would have to fight in order to protect her but he didn't have his suit.

"I'm not afraid," said the suit. Peter gasped when the face plate pulled back to reveal Morgan's face. "I'm going to save my father."

"Morgan, please just listen to me," begged Peter. "You don't understand."

"Did you send the message to Thor?" Peter didn't answer. Morgan raised her hand. Peter watched as the repulsor started to glow. "Send it. Now." Peter shook his head.

"No." He briefly wondered if Morgan would shoot him before his own suit arrived and wrapped itself around his body. Morgan stepped back, suddenly unsure. "We don't have to do this," said Peter carefully. "Just take off the suit and we can talk about this."

"I need to talk to Thor," answered Morgan. She still hadn't lowered her hand. Peter felt his heart drop as Friday's cheerful voice reached his ears.

"Contacting Thor." Peter held his breath as they both waited to see if Thor would answer.

"Hello? Hello? Is this thing working?" Morgan smiled when she heard Thor.

"Uncle Thor? Can you come get me please?"

"Stark's daughter," exclaimed Thor. "Of course!" Thor's voice lowered. "Are you in danger?" Morgan shook her head, her eyes never leaving Peter.

"I have a quest, Uncle Thor. I need your help."

"Thor, don't!" started Peter. He gasped in pain when the repulsor blast hit him in the chest. The power of the strike knocked him through the door, through the stair railing and onto the floor below. Peter took just a second to gather his wits before jumping up, webbing to Morgan's room. But she was already gone. Peter stood quietly in the teen's room, watching as she disappeared into a tiny dot in the night sky. "Well babysitting is off to a great start," he muttered bitterly. Reaching to his ear he activated his emergency comms. "Ned, man you awake?" A small smile tugged at his mouth when he heard his friend's sleepy groan. "I need you to hack a suit and send me its location." As he spoke he deployed the hologram computer located on his forearm. A few taps sent the specifications to his guy in the chair.

"Wait, Peter this is an Iron Man suit," said Ned, sounding much more awake. "But way smaller. Its even smaller than Mrs. Stark's…and why is it purple?"

"Teenage rebellion," replied Peter with no small amount of irony.

Morgan bit back her tears, her throat swollen with the weight of what she had done. She had attacked Peter. She hadn't even stopped to see if he had survived his fall. What if he was badly hurt? Morgan sobbed once but then stopped. She had to be strong if she wanted this to mean anything. Peter was strong. He was a superhero in his own right so surely he was able to withstand the power of her father's suit.

"Friday?" asked Morgan, hating how wobbly and watery her voice was.

"Yes, little Boss?" Friday's voice was gentle.

"Is Peter ok?"

"Mr. Parker is well. His suit absorbed most of the blast. He'll probably be sore but he will survive in good health." Morgan nodded as much as the suit would allow, relief crashing through her. She didn't even know where she was going. After she had finished talking with Thor she had just let the suit fly, unsure of a safe place to land.

"Friday, can you take me to my father's old house in Malibu?"

"Boss never rebuilt there, little Boss. Only the basement remains habitable."

"That's fine," whispered Morgan. "I don't want to be seen anyway." Morgan settled in for the ride and tried not to think about how the evening had went. Would Peter ever forgive her? What would her mother say when she found out?

"Would you like to test aerial maneuvers?" asked Friday.

"What?"

"Part of Boss' routine for testing a new suit included examining the maneuvering abilities of the suit to ensure that all surfaces were properly calibrated." Morgan thought about it for a second before a slow smile spread across her cheeks. She had always wanted to try one of her father's suits. If she was going to be grounded the rest of her life then she might as well have fun while she could.

"Show me how, Friday." She whooped with exhilaration when Friday obeyed causing the suit to bank sharply to the left. "This is awesome!" she yelled watching the world speed past her.

"Wait, so she just blasted you into the middle of next week and left?" asked Ned. Peter tossed his icepack onto the desk.

"Yup." Ned shook his head.

"And I thought I had problems with my sister." Peter looked at the monitor as Ned worked.

"Can you disable her suit? I'd like to never repeat that." Ned continued to tap away on the keyboard.

"Well the code is old. But it was also written by Tony Stark so that's going to be a no." Peter huffed in frustration.

"Come on, Ned. When we were in high school you hacked my suit. What's the difference this time?" Ned stopped what he was doing and leaned back in his chair.

"Well for one," he said counting on his fingers. "Mr. Stark never thought anyone would even attempt to hack it let alone understand the code involved so he didn't add as many layers of protection, two: that suit was about a million times simpler than Morgan's suit because Morgan's suit is based on the pinnacle of nanotechnology, three: Mr. Stark specifically created a closed computer system for the suit with a buffer on top of another three buffers whenever it wants to communicate with an open system so I wouldn't be hacking one computer I would be hacking at least four, maybe more once they figured out they were under attack. Four: …"

"Ok, Ned, I get it," interrupted Peter. "Can you at least give me a location?" Ned looked back at the screen doubtfully.

"I don't think so, man." Peter sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The computer beeped dully but Peter didn't care. It wasn't going to help him find Morgan. "This is weird."

"What's weird, Ned?" asked Peter, hoping he wasn't about to say something that would warrant an Avenger callout. The way his week was going however, he wouldn't be surprised.

"One of Mr. Stark's properties is reading movement in the basement. You think its her?" Peter read the message flashing on the computer screen.

"Maybe I won't have to tell Ms. Potts I lost her daughter after all," he muttered. "Can you make sure to call the school and let them know that Morgan won't be there today? Last thing I need is for them to call her asking for Morgan."

"Will do," answered Ned. He watched as Peter suited up and checked his systems. "So what are you going to do when you get there?" Peter used his wrist computer to summon a jet.

"I guess I'll talk some sense into her." Ned looked at him doubtfully.

"She did just blast you," he replied gesturing at the scorch marks on Peter's chest.

"She won't get that lucky again," answered Peter. "But it won't come to a fight. I hope."

"Peter," asked Ned cautiously. "Let's assume for a minute that you manage to get her out of that suit and drag her home. How are you going to keep her from doing this again?" Peter stopped what he was doing and looked at Ned.

"You think she'll try this again?" Ned shrugged.

"Wouldn't you, man? Its her father." Peter looked away.

"So what do you think I should do? How should I convince her that this is stupid?"

"I don't think you should." Ned pushed his chair around so he could look straight at Peter. "I think you should let her figure it out herself. She'll never stop otherwise. And you won't be around forever." Peter considered his friend's words, thinking of his own quest which had ended in heartbreak and failure.

"I don't want her to go through that. I don't want her hurt." Ned chewed on his thumbnail.

"Too late, Pete. Its going to happen whether you crush her dreams or let her follow this through to its natural conclusion. At least this way she'll have you there to protect her and be there when she needs someone who knows how she feels." Peter frowned deeply, his mind torn between his friend's advice and the natural instinct to protect the girl he thought of as his little sister.

"I've got to go before Thor gets to her," he muttered. Ned looked at him doubtfully. "I'll think about what you said," promised Peter in response to the look. "But first I have to be sure that I can keep her safe. I'll see you later, man." Ned stood as they engaged in their ritual handshake, something that not even ten years and countless tragedies could take from them.

"Be safe, brother."

Morgan shivered in the cool night air. California was warmer than back home but the uninhabited basement had taken on a cave like chill that cut through her light tshirt and jeans. Her cheek and wrist also hurt her from bruises she had acquired trying to land the suit. While Friday had been able to help her learn a great deal about the suit it had no automated landing capability. She had crash landed with all the grace of a baby robin outside, spraining her wrist and bruising her cheek. Morgan sighed and laid her cheek on her knee listening to the waves crashing outside.

"You're planning could use some work," said a voice causing Morgan to leap to her feet and scramble to the suit. She stopped seeing that the suit was securely webbed shut. She turned towards the sound of the voice.

"How did you find me?" asked Morgan trying to keep her voice even. She stepped backwards when Peter moved towards her.

"Oh ye of little faith," teased Peter. He watched as Morgan took a fighting posture, blading her body away from him, hands unconsciously raised a little. "Relax, Morgie."

"You won't stop me," answered Morgan. "I'm going to see this through." Her eyes widened in surprise when Peter stepped out of his suit.

"I know. That's why I'm not going to try." Morgan's eyes darted around the basement searching for the trick that Peter was going to play.

"Then why are you here?" she asked finally.

"Because if you go with Thor right now you'll die. You have a nice suit but no idea of how to use it. Nice landing by the way," replied Peter gesturing to her reddened cheek. "We have a few days before Thor arrives. Enough for you to train at least a little bit. Its better than nothing though." Morgan frowned in confusion.

"You…" she hesitated. "You want to help me now?" Peter shook his head.

"No. But I don't want you to get hurt either. You've put me in a difficult spot." Peter shook his head ruefully. "This is me making a choice. Right, wrong, I don't know." Morgan relaxed a little but not completely.

"So what's your plan?"

"Well for one," answered Peter. "I'd like to get out of this drafty old basement. I'd also like to take you to the Avengers facility where we can train." Morgan shook her head.

"They can't know about this. They'll try to stop me." Peter nodded.

"If they knew they would. But I have access to a private gym that's off limits to them. Its where Mr. Stark trained with me when he didn't want anyone to know about me. He never lifted the security features and I just left them there. Its my private space. Nothing there is recorded either. Plausible deniability when the Accords were still in effect." Morgan rubbed the chill off her arms and looked around at the deserted basement.

"Ok."

A/N- Thank you for the reviews!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N- Ok so this chapter got really long so I had to split it into halves. Hope you're enjoying it so far! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Morgan gasped in shock and pain as she miscalculated her inertia against the grade of her curve and slammed into the wall. Red warning lights flashed across her vision as she carved a chunk out of the wall with her suit. She crashed to the ground rolling in a vain attempt to rob some of the pain from the blow. When she finally stopped she found herself lying on her back looking at the expressionless mask Peter wore.

"I'm guessing physics isn't your strength," he said, half teasing. Morgan frowned and brushed the rubble off her suit.

"I don't understand what I'm doing wrong." Peter helped her stand before he peeled off his mask and took a long drink of water.

"You're letting the suit do too much work. Do you know why Colonel Rhodes was never as good of a pilot as Mr. Stark?" Morgan shook her head. "He had the suit do all the calculations. Mr. Stark uploaded a huge library of maneuvers that the suit could execute immediately. But what made Iron Man a cut above War Machine was Mr. Stark's ability to improvise. _He_ was in constant control. The only time the suit was working alone was when he was otherwise preoccupied with working a different problem."

"Is that how you work?" asked Morgan accepting the water from Peter. He nodded.

"Suit or no suit, I am Spider Man. That's what people never understood about Mr. Stark. They thought his machine was so wondrous due to programing. That anyone could fight like he could if they had it." Morgan screwed the top back on the water.

"My father once described the suit as a high tech prosthesis." Peter nodded.

"Exactly. The suit didn't fly him. He flew the suit." Morgan stretched out the kinks in her back. Her latest crash was just one of many she had had since arriving at the Avenger's compound yesterday morning.

"Do you think I'll ever be like him?" Peter tossed the water into the corner and replaced his mask.

"I hope not. I hope that after this is finished you'll toss that in the garbage where it belongs." Morgan's face plate snapped back into place, hiding her insulted expression.

"Why can't I be an Avenger too?" Peter threw a punch at her face causing her to quickly duck under the blow and return with a right hook.

"Your family has given enough, Morgan. Let it go." Peter batted away the strike, grabbed the back of her head and slammed her face first into his knee. Morgan yelped at the sudden pain and used her left hand to blast into Peter's midsection. Peter grunted at the hit but elbowed her in the back causing her to fall flat to the ground. "That was cheating," he muttered backing off while Morgan picked herself back up. He was unharmed as they had set both suits to training mode allowing their strikes to sting but not bruise or kill.

"Sorry," mumbled Morgan but Peter shook his head.

"In a real fight you use everything you have. Especially if its cheating. That's how you live." Morgan badly wanted to check her stinging nose but Peter's mask was still down, telling her he wasn't finished with her. "I want you to attack from the air. Take me out without crashing or getting hit and we can call it a day." Without another word Morgan launched into the air circling around the training gym. It was a huge space that was at least big enough for a football field. The ceiling of the gym was outfitted with various arms and boards giving Peter something to attach his webs to. It was a perfect training ground with multiple attachments that could be set up to mimic different environments. Peter had told her that it had survived the destruction of the final battle because it had sunk unharmed into the ground rather than buckle to the barrage of missiles directed at the facility. Morgan focused as an orange training disk flew past her left side simulating a projectile. The disks contained a minor charge and bright powder that would let her know in certain terms if she was struck. Peter was on the ground lobbing disks at her and dodging around cover to conceal his location. Morgan banked hard to the right to avoid one disk but flew directly into the path of the next disk. She cursed softly and quickly used her left hand to fire a blast at the disk causing it to combust. The force of the explosion knocked her off her flight path causing her to attempt to improvise. Another disk came whirling at her face but there was no time to blast it aside. Thinking quickly, Morgan tucked into a roll like she planned to go under it but the second her feet were under her she added power to the boots and shot over the disk. She then threw both hands up just in time to avoid crashing head first into the ceiling. As it was she put black marks on the ceiling but she had avoided crashing.

"I'm getting the hang of this," murmured Morgan turning back to face Peter. She dodged another five disks before she was finally close enough to fire an accurate shot at Peter. He dodged around a pillar just in time. Morgan sped around the pillar and knocked him flat to the ground on his belly. Peter rolled swiftly and shot three webs at her before she could blink. He was then on his feet and launching a powerful kick into Morgan's chest. She cracked into the wall but managed to shoot another shot from her chest piece, catching Peter as he advanced. It knocked him back to the ground and Morgan scrambled to get on top of him and pin him before he could recover. Peter wiggled from under her and pulled off his mask.

"That was great!" he exclaimed, his face pink with exertion and pride. "Best run of today." Morgan grinned pleased with herself.

"Thanks, Peter!" she clumsily got to her feet, trying not to step on him. Peter's suit beeped at him.

"Peter, you have a call on hold." Peter sighed.

"Put it through, Karen." Morgan stepped out of her suit plucking her sweaty athletic shirt off her belly with a wrinkled nose.

"Hey, Peter," Morgan glanced over hearing her Uncle Rhodey on the line. "I just wanted to check on you kid. I've been hearing a lot of banging going on in your gym." Rhodey hesitated. "Both Friday and Karen say that you're doing something top secret. Is everything ok?"

"Uh," Peter looked at Morgan. "Yeah everything is just peachy," he answered nervously. "Just uh… just doing a little weight lifting."

"That shakes the building?" asked Rhodey skeptically. "And why would weight lifting be top secret?" Peter laughed, his neck coloring pink.

"Well I don't want anyone to feel bad. You know…because they can't lift as much as I do." Morgan put her head in her hand.

"Right," answered Rhodey slowly. "Just… if you need help or anything just call me. You know we're all here for you. You don't have to this… whatever this is… alone." Peter nodded quickly.

"Thanks man. I mean Colonel. I really appreciate it," he stuttered. "Got to go!" Morgan rolled her eyes.

"And I thought I was a bad liar." Peter scowled.

"I wasn't expecting him to call. I'm better when I can plan it." Morgan clucked disbelievingly. "Hey I got your mother to believe me didn't I?" Morgan shrugged.

"After that little performance I'll never understand how," she responded. Peter took off his suit revealing the stylish black athletic under suit he wore.

"If I hadn't showed up how were you going to explain your absence to your mother?" Morgan bit her lip.

"I was going to leave her a note. She wouldn't be able to do anything after I left Earth." Peter shook his head.

"You underestimate her. Even without that little fact that's a terrible plan. Do you know how worried she would have been? Did you think of that at all?"

"Did you think of how your aunt would feel when you were off playing neighborhood vigilante?" Peter frowned in irritation.

"Didn't your mom say no back talk?" Morgan grinned slyly at him. They ate lunch in Peter's private quarters after having Friday navigate them around the other Avengers wandering around the facility. Morgan was surprised to see how bare Peter's room was. There was a single, thin blanket on the bed, an empty hamper in the corner and little else. The only personal touches in the room sat beside Peter's lamp. One was a photo of Peter and his aunt who had passed away three years prior from breast cancer and the other was a photo of Peter and her father.

"Do you have another room somewhere else? New York maybe?" Peter paused in shoveling down the tikka masala he had ordered.

"No. Why?" Morgan went back to her own plate.

"No reason." They ate in silence for a few minutes before Morgan broke the quiet again. "What do you think space will be like?" Peter grabbed his second container of food.

"I don't think I'm the best person to ask," he answered. "My experiences up there haven't been great." Morgan wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"Maybe that will change this time." Peter shot her a cynical look.

"I think Thor will probably be here by this time tomorrow. Do you have any sort of plan for when he gets here?" Morgan thought carefully. Honestly, she really didn't have a plan. Her entire thought process thus far had been focused solely on getting to space.

"I'm going to have Thor take me to Nebula. Then I'm going to ask her how having her past self venture into the future affected her. I'll make further plans based on what she tells me."

"Well I'm fairly certain Nebula won't thank you for asking those questions. You need to be careful with her. She's not exactly stable." Peter started boxing up their trash. "You had better get some rest. I have business with the other Avengers I need to take care of before we leave tomorrow." Morgan quickly focused on Peter, her heart rate elevating. Peter laughed at her wide eyes. "Relax. I'm not going to tell on you. But I do need to prepare them for the time that I'll be gone."

"Where are you telling them that you're going?" Peter's mouth turned down into a frown.

"I'll have to tell them I'm going off world. They aren't going to be happy about it though. Especially when I tell them that the reason is none of their business." Morgan watched as Peter went into his closet and returned strapping an old, expensive watch on his wrist. The style didn't suit him and Morgan wondered if the watch had once belonged to her father. "Rest. I'll return when Thor arrives." Morgan changed into pajamas and spent the rest of the evening watching videos of her father on her phone. She also called her mom to reassure her that all was well. Pepper was relieved to hear that Peter was treating the babysitting assignment as an extended vacation and had gotten several movies for him and Morgan to watch. Morgan tried not to feel like the lowest scum on earth as she listened to her mother prattle on about all the neat things that were in Wakanda and how Pepper couldn't decide on which souvenir to bring home. Pepper finally admitted that she had a lot of work she needed to do before the negotiations resumed. They had engaged in their customary goodbyes before Morgan hung up feeling more empty than she ever had. It had only taken a single look at Peter's photos to harden her resolve.

The next day Morgan awoke to Peter knocking softly on the door. "Thor is going to touch down in ten minutes. We need to be on that ship and gone before the other Avengers can get out there to see you." Morgan jumped into her clothes, brushed her teeth, and grabbed the housing for her suit before running out the door behind Peter. Morgan's nerves were raw as they power-walked through the facility. They made it to Thor's ship without a fuss causing Morgan to breathe a sigh of relief. She hugged Thor tightly when he stepped off the ramp. She was glad to see that he had gotten his weight to a healthy level again. Throughout the years she had known him he had yo-yoed between supremely fit and overly obese. "Get inside," muttered Peter tersely. Thor looked at him in confusion.

"Is Lady Morgan in danger?" he followed them as they hurried onto the ship, glancing over his shoulder.

"I'm not in danger, Uncle Thor," answered Morgan. "We just need to leave quickly." Thor's eyebrows raised.

"I was planning to visit with the other Avengers since I have not been able to return to Earth recently." Morgan shook her head.

"We have to go. Now." Thor looked at Morgan's grave face then looked at Peter's grim stance.

"As you wish, Princess. But once we are clear of Earth you will explain what is happening." Morgan forced a smile and kissed Thor on the cheek.

"Thank you." Peter helped her get settled as Thor ran through his check list to get his craft back into the sky. Morgan glanced out the window and felt her blood run cold. Outside, Rhodey, Sam, and several of the new Avengers were walking quickly towards Thor's ship. Peter looked out the window when he noticed Morgan's frightened face.

"Its ok. They're not in uniform. They can't stop us." Thor also noticed who was approaching and frowned deeply at the interaction. The spacecraft lifted into the air causing Rhodey to break into a run, waving his arms and yelling. Peter watched silently, his face set into a mask. Then they were gone and Morgan breathed a sigh of relief. Thor set the autopilot and moved to stand in front of them.

"What's happening?" he demanded. "Is this another of Earth's petty squabbles?" Peter shook his head and moved to look out the cockpit at the stars.

"Ask her." Morgan looked at Thor's upset face and took a deep breath.

"I need you to take me to see Nebula, daughter of Thanos." Thor's frown only deepened.

"That murderess? Why?" Morgan looked to Peter for support but he hadn't turned to look at them.

"I need to ask her a few questions. They're important." Thor shook his head.

"I'm taking you back."

"You can't!" gasped Morgan.

"I will," answered Thor. "I'm not taking you into a dangerous realm for the sake of a few foolish questions." Morgan's lip began to tremble.

"Please, Uncle Thor! Please, help me." Thor turned away from her. "Its about my father!" Thor paused, looking slightly over his shoulder at her.

"Of course it is," he answered flatly. "What else could Nebula offer you?" Thor turned and shoved Peter roughly. "I expected better of you, Man of Spiders. How could you let a little girl run off into space knowing the terrors that lurk there?"

"She has to find out for herself," answered Peter. "I'm not going to spend the rest of my life waiting for Morgan to sneak off, alone, into space and get herself killed. I can't stop her. You won't stop her. She has to learn." Thor stared angrily at Peter but he didn't back down.

"Please," repeated Morgan when the standoff became unbearable.

"What questions could you possibly have for Thano's daughter that are worth dying for?" demanded Thor. Morgan opened her mouth to explain but Peter beat her to the punch.

"She wants to ask her about what happened on Titan. Wants to understand what happened after the Dusting." Thor scowled.

"And why, Stark's daughter, is this so important to you?"

"He's my father," whispered Morgan, tears shimmering in her eyes. "I want to know every part of his story because I can't be part of it anymore. The only way I'll ever know him is through other people's eyes." Thor scowled and shook his head. His mouth set into a hard line as he looked at her from the corner of his good eye.

"That's not good enough," he said finally, but his voice lacked its previous bite. "That's not bloody well good enough." Thor stomped to the controls and flopped down into his seat. Morgan watched carefully, aware that despite his words he had not taken the craft off of autopilot. "I will take you to Nebula," he said finally, each word bitten out with regret. "But then I will return you to Earth." Morgan was wise enough to bite back her squeal of elation and hide her smile.

"Thank you, Uncle Thor." Peter returned to look out the window. Morgan noticed that despite their small victory the tension hadn't left his spine. "How far is it to Nebula?" Thor shrugged.

"Truthfully, I don't where she is. I'll have to send a message to Lady Gamora to find out. But I do know which quadrant she was seen in. We'll move in that direction until we get news of her." Morgan opened her mouth to tell Thor that Friday had already told her Nebula's location but Peter shook his head quickly.

"I'm going to lay down," said Peter. "Wake me if we're under attack." Morgan tried to get his attention to make sure that he was alright but he simply brushed past her and moved into the living quarters.

"He doesn't seem too happy," commented Thor. Morgan looked at the closed door that Peter had disappeared from.

"No, he doesn't," agreed Morgan.

"Of course, the last time he was in space he died so I suppose he has a better reason than most." Morgan suddenly felt selfish and cruel. This whole time she had never stopped to ask Peter how he felt about her grand plans. She had simply assumed that his only complaint was that he thought what she was trying to do was too dangerous for her. For the first time she truly understood that Peter had only accompanied her with the intention of putting his own safety on the line to protect hers. Morgan thought about Rhodey chasing after them and wondered if Peter was going to be in trouble when they got back. She certainly knew that Peter would be in for quite the scolding from Pepper when she found out.

Two days later neither she nor Thor had seen much of Peter. He came out occasionally to check on her and their progress but mostly Morgan hung out with Thor. Thor was glad to tell her any stories she wanted to hear about her father. In his culture stories and songs were an accepted way to honor the dead. Some of his stories had her laughing until she thought her side would split from the strain. Thor finished telling her of the first time he had met her father and wiped the mirthful tears from his eyes.

"I wish I could have seen the look on his face behind the mask when I head-butted him back. It would have been glorious." There was a beep from the front of the ship. "Excellent," muttered Thor. "Rabbit has returned my message." Thor read the strange script on the display, his face falling.

"What is it?" asked Morgan anxiously. Thor shook his head.

"I am sorry, little princess. I cannot take you to Nebula." Morgan looked from him to the script, panic rising in her throat.

"Why not? Is she dead?" Thor forced a laugh as Peter exited his room.

"Nothing so dramatic as that. Nebula is on Primoria. It is a world undergoing crisis at the moment." Peter looked at the script, his eyes flicking across it.

"Why is Nebula fighting against this warlord?" Morgan blinked in surprise that Peter could read the alien writing.

"These last years Nebula has struggled to redeem herself though she does not call it that. She roves from world to world looking for upstarts before they can become galaxy conquerors. She has found quite the fight." Peter frowned grimly.

"She's trying to keep another Thanos from rising." It wasn't a question. "How powerful is this Primorian?" Thor studied the name on the script.

"I've heard of him. A zealot fighting to cleanse the universe of those he sees as morally inferior. He and his cult believe that Thanos was punishment for allowing criminal activity."

"What does he do?" asked Morgan confused.

"He kills all the criminals. Murderers, thieves, thugs, doesn't matter the crime. The punishment is always the same. He's assembled quite the army on Primoria. From what I hear, after he's finished subjugating that planet he plans to move to their neighbor. But it doesn't really matter anyway. We are not going there. I'm sorry Lady Morgan." Morgan looked away, trying but failing to come up with an argument that would convince Thor.

"Take Morgan home," said Peter. "But first drop me off with Nebula." Thor looked at him with surprise.

"Why? This is not your fight, young Peter." Peter gestured at the message.

"How many people thought that when Thanos was on the rise? We can't let this stand." Thor shook his head sadly.

"You cannot defeat every tyrant. You will find yourself in the same unending cycle Nebula has drowned herself in." Peter nodded.

"You're right. But I also can't walk away from a suffering planet. Especially not when a friend is in danger. Drop me off. I'll find my own way home." Thor hesitated, frowning when he saw the hard set of Peter's jaw. It was a look he knew signaled that nothing would change Peter's mind. He nodded shortly.

"I can fly in close enough to drop you on top of Nebula. But I won't land there. Its too perilous." Peter nodded his thanks.

"Wait a minute," interrupted Morgan. "We can't leave you behind. You don't even know what you're walking into. I'm going with you."

"No, you are not," answered Peter firmly. "Once we're finished there I'll bring Nebula back to Earth. You can ask your questions then."

"Assuming you come back," snapped Morgan. Peter ruffled her hair.

"I'm coming back. Thor, send me a file of what you know about the situation on the ground." Morgan gaped as he disappeared back into his room. She was shocked that he could make such a momentous decision so quickly. Especially without knowing every detail of the situation.

"You have to go with him," blurted Morgan turning to Thor. "He has no idea what he's walking into." Thor patted her gently on the shoulder.

"Have faith in the Man of Spiders. He has grown into a mighty warrior. He's quite capable of dealing with Primoria." Morgan followed on Thor's heels as he moved to get a bottle of the dark liquid he never offered to share.

"He would be even more capable if you went with him. Or if we both did. I can handle myself!" Thor shook his head and popped the top off of the bottle.

"Oh I won't be going with him. I would only muck everything up for him. And you certainly aren't going. I don't need Stark's ghost coming for my head, thank you very much." Thor drank deeper than any thirst could provoke. Morgan scowled and stomped to Peter's room, throwing open the door without even knocking. Peter looked up from the hologram containing the information about Primoria. He didn't say anything to Morgan's outraged expression which only frustrated her further.

"What are you even going to do there?" she demanded. "Its an entire planet at war."

"It is," agreed Peter mildly. "Fortunately this guy has built his entire image on his family bloodlines. His army follows him because they believe his family is divinely inspired. His only other strengths are his oration and wealth." Morgan frowned in confusion.

"So?" Peter looked back at his hologram.

"So, he is the last of his bloodline. The others were killed in the war that followed the Dusting. He only survived because he was a victim of the Dusting." Peter looked at her mystified expression. "If he dies his movement dies."

"So you're going to kill him?" asked Morgan faintly. Peter shook his head.

"Nebula will kill him. I will merely open a path for her to do so." Peter sighed when Morgan didn't reply, her face speaking volumes. "Some people need to die, Morgie. Its sad and I don't expect you to understand. I hope you never understand. But it has to happen." Morgan thought of the pain that Thanos had wreaked upon the universe, upon her family in particular. In a way she did understand but it was in a very abstract way. She didn't think she would ever be able to act on such an idea.

Morgan moved to sit on the bed and watched as he worked. Her worry felt like a stone in her gut, all sharp edges and heaviness. She already knew that there was no way that either Peter or Thor would be convinced to let her follow Peter, a fact that she couldn't decide if she was glad or mad about. It was one thing stepping onto an alien planet that was mostly at peace but then to compare that to walking into a fully-fledged war… Morgan knew she wasn't ready for that. The data that Thor had obtained on the specifics of the army aligned against Nebula and her allies didn't reassure either.

Morgan flinched when Thor banged on the door with his approximation of gentle knock. "We're here!" Thor bellowed, entirely too loud. Peter looked up and wrinkled his nose.

"Is he drunk?" Morgan shrugged, unsure of the answer. Her mother rarely drank. Peter slipped into his suit and followed Morgan out of the door. Thor swayed at the controls of his ship, cheeks flushed pink with what Morgan assumed to be excitement.

"There's so many," shouted Thor pointing out of the window. Morgan's mouth went dry when she saw the seething masses of dark combatants, replete with the flashes of explosives. Peter's jaw set firmly but Morgan noticed he was paler than he typically was.

"Where's Nebula?" Thor pointed at the thickest swell of the fighting. Morgan stumbled into the wall when Thor jerked the controls suddenly and the ship shuddered against the force of an explosion.

"That was close," chuckled Thor thickly. "They've noticed us. Make your move now, young Peter." Peter opened the door, causing Morgan's hair to swirl wildly into her eyes. She didn't see when he jumped from the craft but she felt his absence keenly. Now that the door was open she could hear the screams from the battlefield, could smell the smoke that laid like a blanket over the surging masses. Morgan gasped in fear as one of the strange aircraft that littered the sky exploded into flames and dove into the ground crushing countless combatants.

It felt like she was in a dream as Morgan slowly reached to the arc reactor she had clipped to her shirt. The noise and external stimulus faded as her father's suit wrapped securely around her body feeling safe and warm. Distantly, she heard Thor's gasp of shock followed by his bellows. Morgan didn't look at her uncle as she stepped out the ship and began to plummet through the air.

"Friday, find Peter." She watched as one of the figures moving frantically on the field was highlighted. Peter fought beside the blue woman who had been with her father on Titan. His suit had sprouted eight sharp, slashing legs that helped to keep enemy combatants from overwhelming him. Nebula fought with a sword hacking her way through towards a van guard of massive brutes that circled protectively around their leader. There seemed to be several different species that composed each of the armies, with some of the fighters being lithe and human like while others appeared as big as giants. It was these giants that were giving Nebula's forces the most grief. They toted huge cannons that decimated dozens of fighters in a cone like swath of destruction. Morgan diverted more power to her thrusters when she saw one of the creatures point its cannon directly at the leaping form of Peter.

Peter had just finished knocking one another of the alien's out when his senses began screaming at him. He quickly turned and focused on the behemoth that was staring him down as its cannon glowed with power. Thinking quickly, Peter rolled behind an outcropping of shattered ground that had been dug up by one of the thousands of explosions that had rattled the battlefield. Peter waited with baited breath, unsure if the dirt would take enough of the force away from the blast to save his life. Only a few seconds had passed but he knew that he should have already had his answer one way or another. Peter peaked around the outcropping, his eyes widening when he saw the purple Iron Man armor engaging the giant in combat.

Behind him Nebula screamed in rage as she cut down another of the giants and three of their smaller companions. As badly as it hurt him, there was too much happening for him to focus solely on Morgan. The faster he could get Nebula to her target the faster they could retreat. "Karen, keep me updated on Morgan's condition. Don't let her get hurt."

"Don't worry, Peter," came Karen's soothing voice. "She's not my first teenager." Peter struck down another alien combatant, his heart in his throat as he heard the familiar retorts of the Iron Man repulsors.

"Tell Nebula we have to move. Now."

Morgan twisted in the air as the giant she was fighting swung a massive sword at her. She fired with both hands, discouraged when they had little effect.

"Why isn't this working?" she cried just as she was knocked hard in the back by a small missile. The force slammed her into the ground, knocking the air out of her lungs. She blinked in confusion as thick liquid flowed into her left eye.

"Get up," commanded Friday frantically. Morgan rolled just in time to avoid being impaled as the giant went for the kill.

"Shield," shouted Morgan, her voice cracking in terror as the giant moved to raise his sword again. The nanites formed into a shield just in time to save her life once again. Morgan nearly buckled under the weight of the blow, still laying flat on her back. The giant raised the sword again and Morgan scrambled to her feet, bracing before that horrible sword struck her again.

"You should deactivate training mode, little boss," said Friday as Morgan was struck again. Morgan dropped to one knee as the giant continued to pummel her. Her arm ached fiercely under the onslaught.

"Deactivate," screamed Morgan. She screamed again when the giant unexpectedly kicked her, the toe of his boot hooking under the shield and slamming into her ribs. Morgan flew thirty feet before smashing back into the ground. Her vision whited out from the sudden pain but she knew she couldn't stay down long. She crawled slowly to the her knees, watching exhaustedly as the giant charged at her, sword ready to cleave her in half. It took far more effort than it should have to raise one gloved hand. She aimed at the monster's chest and fired. The giant didn't try to block the strike, having learned from previous blows that it only stung. It was taken entirely by surprise when it was blasted backwards, chest smoking from a grievous but not mortal wound.

"Morgan?" asked a female voice that the girl wasn't familiar with. "Morgan, I'm Karen, Peter's A.I. With your permission I would like to take over for Friday."

"Ok," muttered Morgan slowly, trying to focus.

"You will have more success fighting from the air. You need to get airborne now." Morgan slowly forced herself to stand. "On your left," Morgan turned and saw a trio of the smaller aliens charging her. "Is your preference to kill or discombobulate?"

"Discombobulate?" asked Morgan dazed. She watched as her targeting systems highlighted the aliens. Her suit shot small blue glowing disks at each of the aliens. The disks stuck on the creature's limbs causing the limbs to fall useless at their sides or tripping them to the ground. Morgan barely noticed as the suit became airborne. Morgan flinched at a small prick in her arm.

"I've just given you medicine to help with the pain and help you focus." Morgan shook her head at the sudden clarity. "Peter is requesting that you help clear a path for him and Nebula. Are you able to respond?" Morgan swallowed and blinked against the stickiness in her eye.

"I can help," answered Morgan. She flew above where Peter and Nebula were fighting to get close to the vanguard. "Ask him what he wants."

"Morgan," asked Peter's breathless voice. "I need you to shoot at their feet. Push them away from our path or else they're going to close around us and we're going to be overwhelmed." From her vantage point Morgan could see that was already happening. Peter and Nebula had led a small group into the middle of the enemy army, attempting to push their way to the leader. Morgan began firing blasts as she was instructed and was rewarded with a hail of missiles aiming to knock her from the sky again. Morgan grit her teeth against the pain in her ribs and flew defensively, firing whenever she was able. It seemed like hours had passed before Peter's reassuring voice filtered into her ear.

"You're doing great, Morgan. Nebula has a ship coming so that we can evacuate to the safe zone. I need you to protect it from the cannons. Can you do that?" Morgan's sensors highlighted the ship that was inbound.

"Did you kill him?" asked Morgan dropping more of the blue disks onto a cluster of giants. Most of the giants had collapsed before Peter answered.

"Nebula was successful. We'll talk about it once we're safe." Morgan continued to guard the ship until it was out of range of the battle. She landed beside it and waited for the ramp to lower to the ground. Peter jumped out of the ship as soon as the hatch opened enough for him and ran to her. Morgan lifted her faceplate and tolerated as Peter's fingers quickly probed the cut in her hairline that was the source of the blood on her face.

"I'm ok," muttered Morgan although she felt anything but. In the distance she heard the battle continue to rage. She supposed it would take a while for news to spread. Peter frowned and took her hand, leading her back onto the ship. He pulled her into the private quarters of the ship and sat her down.

"Karen, run diagnostics."

"She has a mild concussion and bruised ribs on the right side. Her left wrist sustained a contusion to the bone and she has minor bruising throughout her body." Peter dragged a hand over his mouth, looking a decade older than he was.

"I'm so sorry, Morgan. I never should have let this happen." Morgan shook her head quickly, tears in her eyes.

"Its not your fault. I saw what was happening and I was so scared that you would get hurt and you were only going to be there because of me and I knew I couldn't live with myself if anything happened and…" Morgan paused to drag in a breath, tears spilling from her eyes. "I'm the one who's sorry. This is all my fault." Peter pulled her into a hug, mindful of her injuries. He gently shushed her as she started to weep. Peter glanced over his shoulder as he heard the door snick open. Nebula leaned against the door and waited as Morgan struggled to clean up her tears.

"The war is won and only the battle remains," said the woman flatly, her black eyes never leaving Morgan. "Your help came at a critical point."

"Glad we could be of service," muttered Peter. Nebula's eyes flicked at him before returning to Morgan.

"We would have won regardless," she replied. "Why are you here, Stark's daughter? You are clearly no warrior." Morgan's spine straightened as her heart clenched with sudden anger.

"Warrior or not I saved your sorry blue ass," she snapped. Nebula's face flickered with some alien emotion causing Peter to step protectively between the two women.

"Nebula," started Peter, his voice dropped into a threatening growl. Morgan pushed past him.

"I'm here because I have questions only you can answer. After that you can go back to trying to get yourself killed." Nebula scoffed.

"What knowledge could I possibly possess that you need? I have not been to Terra since the Titan's war." Morgan stared down the blue woman who seemed to have not aged a day in the fifteen years since her father had fought on Titan.

"I need to know what happened to you during the war. You _and_ your previous self." For the first time Nebula's face showed something approximating human emotion. Morgan thought maybe it was shock or guilt but it was gone before she could decide.

"Killing makes me hungry," said the alien. "Food will be ready in half an hour." Nebula turned on her heel and was out the door before Morgan could reply. Incensed, Morgan marched after her but Peter caught her arm and closed the door.

"Let her go. Nebula is too dangerous to push. We'll talk about it at dinner." Morgan jerked her arm free but went to sit on the bed.

"Do you think she'll answer my questions?" asked Morgan, still stewing when Peter settled beside her.

"I don't know her well," admitted Peter. "What I do know is that she's volatile. Still an ally but not one to be trifled with." Morgan sighed, exhausted, and tapped the nanite housing causing the suit to retreat from her body. Her body ached all over and she still felt her emotions pulled taught from the battle. "What happened to Thor?" asked Peter eventually but Morgan just shook her head.

"Is it ok if I lay down before we eat?" Peter studied her worriedly but nodded. He gave her one last side armed hug before leaving, the door snicking shut after him. Morgan used the tail of her shirt and a little spit to wipe the blood off of her face before laying back on the bed and trying to gather her thoughts. She wondered distractedly if the bed belonged to Nebula before she drifted into a fitful doze.


End file.
